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The Trump Administration's proposal to revoke the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions could significantly weaken federal climate regulations.
This move challenges the Endangerment Finding, a key legal instrument from the Obama era, and is expected to face strong opposition from states and environmental groups, potentially impacting vehicle standards and the push for electric vehicles.
The Donald Trump Administration seems to be taking yet another step backward after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to revoke a key legal instrument recently that has enabled the federal government to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vehicles and engines.
The Endangerment Finding was issued in 2009 during the Obama administration. It concluded that six pollutants, including carbon dioxide, posed a danger to public health and welfare.
This enabled the EPA the authority to regulate GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act.
“That ruling has underpinned more than US$1tn in climate regulations, including those targeting fuel efficiency, vehicle standards and the push for EV adoption. The Biden administration's EV mandate also stems from this legal framework,” the portal energydigital.com noted in an article.
However, according to current EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the scientific basis of the legal instrument is ‘flawed’ and ‘economically damaging’.
"With this proposal, the Trump EPA is proposing to end sixteen years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers,” said Zeldin.
The move, according to EPA, will “lower goods prices, restore consumer choice in vehicles and reduce supply chain friction, particularly for logistics and trucking”.
A step back
The proposal by the EPA, according to the energydigital.com article, would strip federal agencies of their authority to set GHG standards for new light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
Transport is one of the largest contributors to US GHG emissions.
The proposal is expected to face legal opposition from states, environmental groups and scientific bodies. According to energydigital.com, the EPA will now inviting public comment on the proposal.
Donal Trump’s administration has already reversed over 100 environmental rules. These include those related to vehicle emissions, water quality and clean air standards.
